Board
Meet The Board
Being drawn from varied backgrounds, leaders of NSI board provide insights that have been gained through lived experiences as well as collective involvement awareness in the BME community and public/private/third sectors
Mrs Nan Brown (nee Soumaro)
Mrs Nan Brown (nee Soumaro) is the Chair. She is a mother of 4 with over 15years’ experience working with African and BME communities in Scotland. She was the former president of the Ivorian Women Association in Scotland. She holds BA(Hons) Tourism & Event Management and MSc in Project Management University of West of Scotland.
Dr Festus Olatunde Ogunmola
Dr Festus Olatunde Ogunmola is a financial strategist, governance expert, and international development leader with over 30 years of global experience in finance, banking, and risk management across the United Kingdom and international markets. A Chartered Accountant and member of the Business Continuity Institute (UK), he has held senior roles with organisations including Barclays, Barclaycard, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Lloyds Banking Group, and has led major compliance and financial governance initiatives across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He serves on the boards of E-Tranzact UK and Xcel Digital Bank, and is Co-Founder of the Association of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning of Nigeria (AAIMLON). Dr Ogunmola is also Vice Chairman of Next Step Initiative, President of the Scottish Council of African Churches, and CEO of Greatway Foundation, a Scottish charity focused on youth empowerment and social inclusion. He holds a PhD in Finance and an MBA from the University of Manchester.
Rosebella Otieno
Rosebella is a Community Health Professional with a close understanding of the communities that she serve. This trusting relationship enables her to serve as an intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. She has over 5 years of experience spanning across capacity building and health research with a proven record of accomplishment in policy development, training, business growth and development as gained from working across various community development programs. Rosebella currently holds a Bachelor's degree in Social Work and with MBA leadership in view.
Prof. Emmanuel Opoola, CAS, MNIM
Prof. Emmanuel Opoola, CAS, MNIM Professor of Animal Science | Research Scholar Prof. Emmanuel Opoola is a distinguished Associate Professor of Animal Science at Ahmadu Bello University and a current Research Scholar at the African Forum Centre for Policy Research and Development, UK. With a career spanning over a decade of academic excellence and international development, Prof. Opoola has become a leading voice in livestock productivity and agricultural policy. A prolific scholar with 59 scientific publications, his expertise is sought globally as a reviewer for premier journals such as Tropical Animal Health and Production. Beyond the laboratory, Prof. Opoola translates research into regional impact; he authored the national poultry production manual for the World Bank-funded APPEALS Project and served as a USAID Winrock Farmer-to-Farmer consultant. Prof. Opoola’s leadership is defined by his tenure as Head of the Livestock Section at Kabba College of Agriculture and his strategic roles within international initiatives across the US, South Africa, and the UK. A Certified Animal Scientist and member of the British Society of Animal Science, he remains dedicated to bridging the gap between rigorous academic research and sustainable community development.
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